Wing Yee 穎怡
by Wendy Chan (she/her)
What are the sounds, smells, tastes of your childhood?
One particular memory springs to mind: The MTR announcements on the underground in Hong Kong are a very familiar childhood sound for many Hong Kongers like myself. I used to buy handpicked frangipani flowers from some lovely street vendors, usually elderly ladies, these flowers always smelled amazing and last a few days. Another smell memory is the seawater as I crossed the Victoria Harbour by the Star Ferry. The taste of my childhood is definitely my mum's dumplings, it's second to none and she'll always have a batch ready whenever I fly home.
What is the story behind your name?
My first name is Wing Yee 穎怡, which means "intelligence/creative" and "happiness" respectively. I feel that my name really suits my job as an artist now as I paint to spread joy and happiness.
Who taught you about your family history?
Unfortunately, my families aren't keen to talk about their past, it seems quite a common occurrence amongst the older Chinese generations that they'd prefer to look forward and not at the few tough decades they'd endured through.
Do you have any practices or rituals that honour your ancestral lineage?
On the third day of Lunar New Year, we'd cut a roasted pig in front of the ancestral hall to celebrate our past and the festivities.
What narratives or core beliefs do you have about your identity?
My core belief is that I am equal to all other races even if I am living abroad as a minority from my home city. If people want to put me down or treat me differently because of who I am, silence or sucking it up is not the solution, it is important to voice against it within reasons and any forms of prejudice should not be tolerated. Every single step counts!
Have you adopted ideas about yourself that you don’t actually agree with?
Perhaps the fact that I occasionally adapt my self-employed job as an artist to help my husband prioritise his career is one? It's a hard one as I can work flexibly, but his job is way more rigid, high pressured and longer hours, eventually I am responsible for most of the household chores and admin work which takes up a lot of my time on a workday. I feel that my career is advancing slower because of it. There is definitely a gendered balance/undertone to it.
